A computer-implemented method for scanning computer infrastructure within a computer network includes a first host device and a second host device having distinct operating systems. The host devices are coupled to a controller server. The method includes deploying a first scan program to the host devices. The method includes installing a first tool set on the first host device, installing a second tool set on the second host device, executing the first scan program on the first host device for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the first host device, executing the first scan program on the second host device for gathering and storing a second set of inventory data on the second host device, collecting the first set of inventory data from the first host device and the second set of inventory data from the second host device.
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1. A computer-implemented method for scanning computer infrastructure within a computer network, the computer network including a first host device having a first operating system and a second host device having a second operating system, wherein the first host device and the second host device are coupled to a controller server, said method comprising the steps of: transferring a first scan program to the first host device and the second host device, wherein the first scan program is configured to gather and store inventory data on a host device, and wherein the first scan program includes one or more sub-scans and operating system-specific operations conditioned, at runtime, to execute inventory collection functions using operating system-specific mechanisms; installing a first tool set on the first host device, wherein the first tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on the first operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the first host device and wherein the first tool set is configured to use a first set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the first set of mechanisms being specific to the first operating system; installing a second tool set on the second host device, wherein the second tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on the second operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the second host device, wherein the second operating system is distinct from the first operating system and wherein the second tool set is configured to use a second set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the second set of mechanisms specific to the second operating system; installing a local scan controller on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the local scan controller executes at least one of the sub-scans that is included within the first scan program, and wherein the at least one of the sub-scans corresponds to an application type installed on at least one of the first host device and the second host device; transmitting, by the controller server, a scan command to the local scan controller installed on the first host device and the second host device; causing, in response to the scan command being received by the local scan controller, the local scan controller to execute the first scan program including the one or more sub-scans on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the at least one of the sub-scans executes on the application corresponding to the at least one of the sub-scans; and collecting the first set of inventory data from the first host device and the second set of inventory data from the second host device, wherein said collecting is performed by the controller server.
A system scans computer infrastructure on a network containing computers with different operating systems. A central server pushes a scan program to these computers. This scan program uses OS-specific methods to gather inventory data. To enable this, the server installs OS-specific toolsets on each computer, allowing the scan program to run and collect inventory. A local scan controller, also installed by the server, runs sub-scans targeting specific application types on the computers. The server sends a scan command, the local controller executes the scan program, and the server collects the inventory data from each computer.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: transferring a second scan program to the first host device after collecting, wherein transferring the second scan program replaces the first scan program; and executing the second scan program on the first host device, wherein the second scan program gathers and stores a third set of inventory data about the first host device on the first host device.
The inventory scanning system of claim 1 is further enhanced by pushing a second scan program to a computer after the initial data collection is done. This second scan program replaces the first one and executes, gathering a new set of inventory data specific to that computer. This allows for running different types of scans or updated scans sequentially without requiring manual intervention on the individual computers.
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein executing the first scan program on the first host device further includes gathering at least one of information about hardware components of the first host device, information about the operating system of the first host device, and information about one or more applications installed on the first host device.
The inventory scan program of claim 1 gathers a wide range of information about a computer. This includes details about the computer's hardware components (CPU, memory, disk), its operating system (version, patch level), and the applications installed on it (name, version, configuration). This comprehensive data collection provides a complete overview of the computer's state.
4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: monitoring execution of the first scan program; and altering execution of the first scan program, wherein altering execution includes one or more of terminating execution and re-executing, and wherein altering execution includes terminating the first scan program based on a predefined timeout period.
The inventory scanning system of claim 1 includes monitoring of the scan program execution. If issues occur, the execution can be altered, which includes termination or restart. The system can also be configured to terminate the scan program after a predefined timeout period to prevent scans from running indefinitely.
5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein executing the first scan program on the first host device includes executing the first scan program as a specific user account of the first operating system, the specific user account having access permission to a subset of the first set of inventory data on the first host device.
The inventory scan program of claim 1 executes on each computer under a specific user account. This account has limited access permissions, allowing the scan to only collect a subset of the available inventory data. This ensures that sensitive information is not collected unnecessarily and respects security boundaries.
6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein deploying a scan program is performed by the controller server.
The inventory scanning system of claim 1 uses the central controller server to deploy the scan program to the target computers. This centralized deployment simplifies the process of initiating scans across a large number of machines, ensuring consistent versions and configurations.
7. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: identifying the first operating system and the second operating system; identifying a first set of utilities associated with the first operating system and a second set of utilities associated with the second operating system; executing the first scan program based on the first set of utilities; and executing the first scan program based on the second set of utilities.
The inventory scanning system of claim 1 automatically identifies the operating systems of the target computers. Based on these OS identifications, it then identifies relevant utilities specific to each operating system. The scan program uses these OS-specific utilities to collect the inventory data in a compatible manner.
8. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: committing the first set of inventory data to a first standardized inventory file and the second set of inventory data to a second standardized inventory file, wherein the first standardized inventory file is configured to be interpreted and written on a first plurality of operating systems and the second standardized inventory file is configured to be interpreted and written on a second plurality of operating systems.
The inventory scanning system of claim 1 commits the collected inventory data from each computer to a standardized inventory file. The format of this file is designed to be interpreted and written across multiple operating systems, ensuring portability and compatibility with different data analysis tools.
9. A network-based system for scanning computer infrastructure within a computer network, the system comprising: a first scan program configured to gather and store inventory data on a host device; a first host device comprising a first operating system; a second host device comprising a second operating system distinct from the first operating system and a second tool set; and a controller server coupled to said first host device and said second host device, said controller server configured to: transfer the first scan program to the first host device and the second host device, and wherein the first scan program includes one or more sub-scans and operating system-specific operations conditioned, at runtime, to execute inventory collection functions using operating system-specific mechanisms; install a first tool set on the first host device, wherein the first tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on the first operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the first host device and wherein the first tool set is configured to use a first set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the first set of mechanisms being specific to the first operating system; install a second tool set on the second host device, wherein the second tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on the second operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the second host device, wherein the second operating system is distinct from the first operating system and wherein the second tool set is configured to use a second set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the second set of mechanisms specific to the second operating system; install a local scan controller on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the local scan controller executes at least one of the sub-scans that is included within the first scan program, and wherein the at least one of the sub-scans corresponds to an application type installed on at least one of the first host device and the second host device; transmit a scan command to the local scan controller installed on the first host device and the second host device; cause, in response to the scan command being received by the local scan controller, the local scan controller to execute the first scan program including the one or more sub-scans on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the at least one of the sub-scans executes on the application corresponding to the at least one of the sub-scans; and collect said first set of inventory data from said first host device and said second set of inventory data from said second host device.
A system scans computer infrastructure on a network containing computers with different operating systems. A central server manages this. The server pushes a scan program, which uses OS-specific methods to gather data, to these computers. The server installs OS-specific toolsets on each computer for the scan program to run. A local scan controller runs sub-scans targeting specific application types on the computers. The server sends a scan command, the local controller executes the scan program, and the server collects the inventory data.
10. A system in accordance with claim 9 further comprising a second scan program, wherein said controller server is further configured to: transfer the second scan program to the first host device after collecting the inventory data from the first host device, wherein transferring the second scan program replaces the first scan program; and execute the second scan program on the first host device, wherein the second scan program gathers and stores inventory data about the first host device on the first host device.
The inventory scanning system of claim 9 is further enhanced. The central controller server pushes a second scan program to a computer after the initial data collection, replacing the first one. This second scan program then executes, gathering a new set of inventory data specific to that computer.
11. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the inventory data from the first host device includes at least one of information about hardware components of the first host device, information about the first operating system of the first host device, and information about one or more applications installed on the first host device.
In the inventory scanning system of claim 9, the collected data includes information about the computer's hardware, its operating system, and the applications installed on it. This provides a comprehensive overview of the computer's state.
12. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said controller server is further configured to: monitor execution of said first scan program; and alter execution of said first scan program, wherein altering execution includes one of terminating execution and re-executing, and wherein altering execution includes terminating the first scan program based on a predefined timeout period.
The inventory scanning system of claim 9 includes monitoring of the scan program execution by the central controller server. If issues occur, the execution can be altered, which includes termination or restart. The system can also be configured to terminate the scan program after a predefined timeout period.
13. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said controller server is further configured to execute said first scan program on said first host device as a specific user account of the first operating system, the specific user having access permission to a subset of the first set of inventory data on the first host device.
The inventory scanning system of claim 9 executes the scan program on each computer under a specific user account. This account has limited access permissions, allowing the scan to only collect a subset of the available inventory data.
14. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to: transfer a first scan program to a first host device and a second host device, wherein the first scan program is configured to gather and store inventory data on a host device, and wherein the first scan program includes one or more sub-scans and operating system-specific operations conditioned, at runtime, to execute inventory collection functions using operating system-specific mechanisms; install a first tool set on the first host device, wherein the first tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on a first operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the first host device and wherein the first tool set is configured to use a first set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the first set of mechanisms being specific to the first operating system; install a second tool set on the second host device, wherein the second tool set is configured to enable the first scan program to execute on a second operating system for gathering and storing a first set of inventory data on the second host device, wherein the second operating system is distinct from the first operating system and wherein the second tool set is configured to use a second set of mechanisms of the operating-system specific mechanisms for executing the first scan program, the second set of mechanisms specific to the second operating system; install a local scan controller on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the local scan controller executes at least one of the sub-scans that is included within the first scan program, and wherein the at least one of the sub-scans corresponds to an application type installed on at least one of the first host device and the second host device; transmit a scan command to the local scan controller installed on the first host device and the second host device; cause, in response to the scan command being received by the local scan controller, the local scan controller to execute the first scan program including the one or more sub-scans on the first host device and the second host device, wherein the at least one of the sub-scans executes on the application corresponding to the at least one of the sub-scans; and collect the first set of inventory data from the first host device and the second set of inventory data from the second host device, wherein the collecting is performed by the controller server.
Software on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium when executed performs the following: transfers a scan program to computers with different operating systems, using OS-specific mechanisms to collect inventory. It installs OS-specific toolsets on each computer. A local scan controller is installed to run sub-scans targeting specific applications. A scan command is sent, the local controller runs the scan program, and inventory data is collected from each computer by a central server.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to: transfer a second scan program to the first host device after the collecting, wherein transferring the second scan program replaces the first scan program; and execute the second scan program on the first host device, wherein the second scan program gathers and stores a third set of inventory data about the first host device on the first host device.
The software of claim 14 also pushes a second scan program to a computer after the initial data collection, replacing the first. This second program gathers a new set of inventory data specific to that computer.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein executing the first scan program on the first host device includes executing the first scan program with parameters configured to alter said execution.
In the software of claim 14, the execution of the scan program on a computer includes executing it with specific parameters that alter how the scan is performed.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein executing the first scan program on the first host device further includes gathering at least one of information about hardware components of the first host device, information about the operating system of the first host device, and information about one or more applications installed on the first host device.
The software of claim 14 collects data about a computer's hardware, its operating system, and the applications installed on it, providing a comprehensive inventory.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to: monitor execution of the first scan program; and alter execution of the first scan program, wherein altering execution includes one of terminating execution and re-executing, and wherein altering execution includes terminating the first scan program based on a predefined timeout period.
The software of claim 14 monitors scan execution. If problems occur, the scan is terminated or restarted. The scan can also be terminated after a defined timeout to prevent indefinite running.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein executing the first scan program on the first host device includes executing the first scan program as a specific user account of the first operating system, the specific user account having access permission to a subset of the first set of inventory data on the first host device.
The software of claim 14 executes the scan program on each computer with a specific user account that limits data access, only collecting a subset of inventory.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 14 wherein deploying a scan program is performed by the controller server.
The software of claim 14 uses the central server to deploy the scan program, simplifying the scan initiation process.
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April 24, 2013
April 11, 2017
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